Study forecasts deadly heat for Persian Gulf in 2100

A new research shows that the Persian Gulf region could be too hot for humans to live in by 2100 mainly due to global warming.

According to an article published on Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change, if global warming continues at its current pace, the Persian Gulf would be too hot for the human body to tolerate.

This type of extreme heat had been predicted for the region before, but it was not supposed to take place until the year 2200, but the new study which focuses on climate models that focus on regional topography and conditions, foresees a shorter time frame.

Jeremy Pal a professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles who is also the co-author of the research told reporters during a phone conference that “the human body regulates its core temperature to around 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and its skin to a cooler 35 C (95 F).”

The difference between the two temperatures allows us humans to shed excess heat, especially when the air is muggy, in the form of sweat, he said.

But when a combination of high heat and humidity reaches a certain level, “the body is no longer able to cool itself and begins to overheat,” Pal added.
In such hot weather without air conditioning, humans could last no more than six hours before their bodies begin to shut down.

Transportation, construction, agriculture and aquaculture are among the many industrial activities that would become hazardous under such conditions, the research showed.

The authors of the study warned that while the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia will not be quite as hot as places nearer to the Persian Gulf, the heat will likely still cause many deaths during the annual hajj pilgrimage.

The consequences could mean mass migration and the spread of diseases, the research concluded, as people would want to leave the region and head to cooler areas.